Hi all,
I have a somewhat different request from all of the African hunting guru's. Heading off to South Africa with a friend next june, I have a question regarding a good pair of boots that will with withstand the barbs and thorns that plague shoe laces and such. This is my first trip and really need some advice, want to buy them soon and break them in soon.

This subject has been discussed at least 6 billion times on this forum. ANY hunting boot will do. The barbs and thorns are located above your waist, not at your feet as evidenced by all the photos of PH's wearing long sleeved shirts and shorts.

Wear gaiters to cover the laces.

Sorry DC300 to have troubled you, Charles thanks for the advice. To add to my first post is a leather boot adequate or something with thinsulate and water proof.

I have not needed insulation but have not seen temps below 40s or so at night. Your situation may be different.

I am a fan of leather boots where lots of grass seeds or thorns might slip past Cordura.

You will find that there are many different points of view on the right kind of boots. If you do a search you will find heated debates over brands of boot, alternatives to boots like tennis shoes or Tevas, and similar hot topics.

Badonk,
I'll be happy to give another opinion, you know about those. You probably wont be walking as much in RSA as you would on a tracking hunt, buff or jumbo so whatever is comfortable, even tennis shoes are good, when I hunted RSA the thorns and things didn't bother me but if you want gators get them, they are handy to pull up on you knees if crawling is required and your in shorts. On a tracking hunt I wear my low boots I wear to work here in the states EVERYDAY, reason is I know they will not under any cicumstances ever hurt my feet as Im on my feet all day, it really helps when your on a track all day. Especially if there's no buff at the end of the track! And yes I would also have taken offense to the comments, there is a good ol boy club here.
Good Hunting
Chipolopolo

I think you can be forgiven for not reading every friggin post on this site, some of us are not glued to it 24/7, like others here are.

In my opinion you can't go past Courtneys. Tough leather uppers with a stitched in leather toungue to keep out grass seeds and heavy duty rubber sole out of which I have had to extract many evil looking thorns with my leatherman, particularly in Botswana. Personally I would always go for leather.

I also recommend the courteney and have used them on several safaris. They are made in Bulawayo Zim, and sold in the US by Westley Richards. They are available in SA from a number of sources and for me they last much longer than any other boot around. They are also,as the other poster mentioned, made of things You can get behind, real leather and rubber soles. The fact that they are made in Africa of real buff, ele, Impala or ostrich leathers kinda does it for Me as well. If this is your first safari to Africa buy several pairs, trust me you'll need them. Adrian

Thanks everyone for your opinions, that was all I was looking for. I'm not glued to the site and I hope I don't offend anyone with a question. There alot of people on this site that truly offer great advice because they have alot of experience with alot of differnt subjects. It is my first trip and I really don't know what to expect but whatever comes my way I'm am looking forward to the experience.
Thanks again to all from a Safari virgin from Canada

Courteneys and gaitors. Then you're all set to go.

Hey BaDonk,
Along with boots that won't give you sore feet, you generally want something that is quiet. Vibram soles are definetly out and leather sneakers will work fine in a pinch. You don't have to spend mega dollars on the big name safari boots. Desert boots will work fine along with safari gaitors. JMHO.

IMO fit, comfort, weight, and having boots that are well broken-in are the most important considerations.

I have a closet full of boots of all types, but the pair that I wear most is a 6" high canvas and leather pair of lightweight "Mountain Hiker" boots from Wal-Mart for about $20-25.

I have worn these boots or a very similar pair on three South African hunts from the Limpopo to the Southern Cape, and Zimbabwe once for Buffalo. I also wear these boots here in Montana for Pheasant, Grouse, and Antelope hunting and for Deer and Elk if there is no snow. Last year, two weeks after I got home from South Africa, I wore these same boots Pronghorn Antelope hunting and walked 20 miles in them the first day. Sore body, but my feet were ok.

Like has also been stated, a pair of ankle gators helps to keep grass seeds, etc out of your boots if you hunt in shorts.

BaDonka,

For bushveld conditions you don't need Thinsulate or waterproofing or big boots with a lot of support and a big lug sole. As has been said before, the main thing is that your footwear is comfortable and well broken in. If you prefer a synthetic upper, go with one that has a tight weave so grass seeds won't penetrate. Use gaitors to keep seeds and sand from entering the top of your shoe. I have used Russells and Courtneys and like them both, but any basic low-cut boot or shoe will work as long as it is comfortable.

For my first safari I treated myself to a new pair of Russell PH's. Unfortunately they didn't arrive in time. So I bought a cheap pair of chukka style boots and they worked perfectly.

I'm sure there is a moral to the story.....

My son & I just got back from Masailand. We both wore Merrill Safari boots we got from kevinscatalog.com ($130).

We both concluded they performed flawlessly. Very light, fine cushion, all leather, vibram sole & great protection in a mid boot.

Not disappointed at all that I left my Courtney Selous at home this trip (which Kevin's sells also).

I took my Russell PHs on my hunts to Zimbabwe and Tanzania but ended up wearing my Merrell Jungle Mocs 90 % of the time. I am headed back to Tanzania next year and the Russells will stay at home. My professional hunter wore Teva sandals so obviously anything will work. It's all a personal preference.

If you decide on Courteneys, make a quick trip by the Powder Keg in J'burg for a pair. I got mine there in 2002 and wear them 3-4 days a week even now just as a casual shoe.

I was most concerned about the break-in period. I took a different pair to hunt in, but after the first afternoon when I decided to try out the Courteneys I wore them exclusively. Mine are the 'Safari' in ele. They're holding up very well and I wear them on most of my hunts here in the US as well.

Rockies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Used a pair of Cabela's Silent Stalkers, which they don't even sell any more. Ripple sole, cordura, quiet, comfortable and waterproof. Bought them for deer hunting years ago.

All you need is something you can walk comfortably in for several hours. I seem to recall these boots cost me about 65 bucks.

Cabelas Upland Uninsulated Hunting Boots.
Twice to South Africa and miles and miles on deer stalking back home.
Still going strong.
No gaters, but army style lace down pants over boots, keep the itchy stuff out.

I was very disappointed with the Russell Safari PH's I took to RSA this Sept. When it got to 100 for a couple of days, the glue on the leather insole, allowed it to slough in the heel, and I wound up with big honking blisters on both heels. Didn't slow me down, but sure was a pain. There were numerous foulups with both my wife and I's boot order as well. Maybe they're trying to crank out too many boots, and their quality is slipping?

Jeff

Thanks for all the reply's everyone. The concensus is a "good leather with a soft rubber or leather sole and broken in before you go. Thanks again everyone.
BDD

quote:

Originally posted by BaDonkaDonk:
Thanks for all the reply's everyone. The concensus is a "good leather with a soft rubber or leather sole and broken in before you go. Thanks again everyone.
BDD

THAT ABOUT SUMS IT UP MATE.

quote:

Originally posted by akjeff:
I was very disappointed with the Russell Safari PH's I took to RSA this Sept. When it got to 100 for a couple of days, the glue on the leather insole, allowed it to slough in the heel, and I wound up with big honking blisters on both heels. Didn't slow me down, but sure was a pain. There were numerous foulups with both my wife and I's boot order as well. Maybe they're trying to crank out too many boots, and their quality is slipping?Jeff

My girlfriend and I both had Russell measure and trace our feet in Dallas then ordered custom PH2's. They came to us late, and the fit off so far off that Russell started over. I have to say it was a pain in the ass, but the final boots received are great. Leave plenty of time for foul ups on thier part if your trying to get thm for safari.

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
Courteneys and gaitors. Then you're all set to go.

X2